{"id":2034862,"date":"2023-09-16T18:39:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-16T22:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-fbi-violated-the-privacy-act-to-undermine-trumps-presidential-appointments-watchdog-report\/"},"modified":"2023-09-16T18:45:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-16T22:45:57","slug":"how-the-fbi-violated-the-privacy-act-to-undermine-trumps-presidential-appointments-watchdog-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-fbi-violated-the-privacy-act-to-undermine-trumps-presidential-appointments-watchdog-report\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI&#8217;s Privacy Act breach exposed in report on undermining Trump&#8217;s appointments."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-the-fbi-violated-the-privacy-act-to-undermine-trumps-presidential-appointments-watchdog-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2034862&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>FBI Bias in Background\u200d Investigations of Trump \u2063Nominees Revealed\u200c in Report<\/h2>\n<p>The FBI\u2019s background investigations \u2062into President Donald Trump\u2019s \u2064nominees, to fill various posts during his administration\u2064 were biased \u2063and benefited people who were \u201cpolitically opposed\u201d to him \u200brevealed a recent report\u200d by nonprofit advocacy\u200d America First Legal (AFL).<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>\u201cThe federal background investigation \u2063(BI) process is broken,\u201d stated the Sept. 14 AFL report (<a href=\"https:\/\/media.aflegal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/14201154\/AFL-Report-on-FBI-FINAL-1.pdf?_ga=2.184318766.943313726.1694871411-108050159.1690525286\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>). \u201cDuring \u200cthe Trump Administration, \u2062candidates for presidential appointments \u2064were subject to a BI\u200c process that involved the \u2062FBI\u2019s \u2064repeated, agency-wide violations of the Privacy Act \u200cand the Paperwork \u2063Reduction Act, among other laws.\u201d\u200b It <a href=\"https:\/\/aflegal.org\/america-first-legal-submits-report-to-congressional-committees-on-the-fbis-politicization-of-the-background-investigation-process\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alleges<\/a> that\u2062 certain agents in D.C. tanked President Trump\u2019s potential appointees through selective reporting \u200dof\u2064 unsubstantiated, derogatory\u200d information.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-fbi-violated-the-privacy-act-to-undermine-trumps-presidential-appointments-watchdog-report\/\" title=\"FBI's Privacy Act breach exposed in report on undermining Trump's appointments.\">report\u2063 \u201creveals procedural infirmities<\/a>\u2064 that biased the\u2064 FBI BI process in ways that benefited those politically opposed to former President Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<div class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related \u2064Stories<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-pledges-task-force-to-investigate-alleged-persecution-of-political-prisoners-by-biden-administration-5492548\">Trump \u200cPledges Task Force to Investigate\u200c Alleged Persecution of Political\u2063 Prisoners \u2062by Biden Administration<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/16\/2023<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/exclusive-florida-gop-removes-loyalty-oath-primary-condition-enabling-trump-5492525\">Florida GOP\u2062 Removes Loyalty\u2064 Oath Primary\u2064 Condition Which Trump Opposed<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/15\/2023<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>During the Trump administration, the FBI provided files directly to the \u200dSenate without filtering unsubstantiated allegations\u200d or determining which information was relevant and which was not, said \u200cthe\u2064 report. The White House then disclosed such\u2062 unedited accounts of potential nominees to the relevant Senate committees.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The report gave the example of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to describe\u2063 how the \u201cbroken\u201d background\u200c investigation process of \u200bthe FBI was used to \u200csmear him. Justice Kavanaugh was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2018\/07\/05\/trump-picks-brett-kavanaugh-for-supreme-court.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nominated<\/a> to the Supreme Court by President Trump.<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\u201cIn 2018, due to concerns that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh may have committed inappropriate activities when he was a minor, \u2063the Senate Judiciary Committee sought\u2014and the\u2063 White House complied with\u2014a\u200d supplemental FBI investigation into the allegations,\u201d it said (<a href=\"https:\/\/media.aflegal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/14201154\/AFL-Report-on-FBI-FINAL-1.pdf?_ga=2.184318766.943313726.1694871411-108050159.1690525286\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>).<\/div>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAfter Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed with no findings of wrongdoing, Senate Democrats determined that \u200bthe FBI supplemental investigation\u2063 was \u2018fake\u2019 and that \u2018proper oversight\u2019 must be made into\u2064 how thoroughly the FBI investigated Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fact that the \u2063background \u200dinvestigation processes can be steered by either the White House or the Senate is \u201cevidence that \u2064it \u200cis subject to significant \u200dbias,\u201d\u200c the report said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\u201cSeveral of President Trump\u2019s \u2062nominees, including Representative Darrell Issa, Representative Ronny Jackson, Judge Sul Ozerden, Jeffrey Byard, and William Bryan \u2062were denied confirmations on the basis of FBI BI issues.\u201d<\/div>\n<h2>Biden Compromises Nominee \u200dProtections<\/h2>\n<p>The Department\u200c of Justice\u2019s Office of Legal Policy (OLP) coordinates\u200c with the FBI in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-announces-new-legal-team-for-impeachment-defense-after-previous-team-collapsed\/\" title=\"Trump Announces New Legal Team For Impeachment Defense After Previous Team Collapsed\">matters related<\/a> to background investigations on appointees to law enforcement and the courts.\u2063 Following the Clinton\u200d administration\u2019s \u200b\u201cpoliticization\u200d of privacy \u200cto\u200b spy on its political enemies,\u201d the OLP established rules to prevent such issues\u200b from\u2064 happening again, the \u200breport said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Hunter Biden walks\u2064 to\u200c a waiting SUV after arriving with President \u2064Joe Biden on Marine One at Fort\u200c McNair in \u2063Washington on July 4, 2023. (Saul Loeb\/AFP\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>But under the Biden administration, \u201cthose protections have been\u2062 rescinded.\u201d The OLP revoked such regulations that were \u201cdesigned to protect individuals subject to the BI process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062Privacy Act of\u200b 1974 establishes\u200c a code of\u2064 practices\u2064 governing the collection and dissemination of information of individuals \u200bby federal agencies.<\/p>\n<p>AFL notes \u2063that several requirements of the Privacy \u2064Act \u2064were not \u2063enforced by the\u200d FBI to protect judicial nominees \u200bduring background investigations.<\/p>\n<p>For\u200c instance, new regulations by\u200b the\u2063 Biden administration\u2062 allowed the White House to direct the FBI\u2019s \u2063investigation of any potential candidates \u200das the agency was no longer required to obtain \u200bwritten consent of \u2063the\u200b nominees. Moreover, the White House and the FBI can now disclose such background investigations \u2064outside of the Executive Branch without any notice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe will of the American people is thwarted when the deep state interferes\u200d with\u200c the nominations\u2062 process established in the Constitution and laws\u200c of the United States,\u201d said \u2062Gene \u200cHamilton, AFL vice president and general counsel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe President deserves to have the Senate give proper advice and consent to his nominees, but the manner in which the background investigation\u2062 process has worked has deprived the President\u2013and in turn, the \u200cAmerican people\u2013of that right. This report\u2063 highlights the need for reform and how gamesmanship behind the scenes can interfere with our constitutional order.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">The Epoch Times has reached\u2064 out to the \u200bFBI for \u200dcomment.<\/div>\n<h2>The\u2062 Politicization Issue<\/h2>\n<p>The AFL report comes as concerns \u200dabout the politicization of federal departments is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-delegation-calls-on-biden-to-address-border-crisis-traveling-to-texas-to-see-firsthand\/\" title=\"GOP delegation calls on Biden to address border crisis, traveling to Texas to see firsthand\">hot-button topic<\/a>\u200d among lawmakers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">In May,\u200c Special Counsel John Durham&#8217;s report (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/storage\/durhamreport.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pdf<\/a>) on the FBI\u2019s investigation into President Trump\u2019s\u200b 2016 campaign stated that\u2062 the agency\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntd.com\/special-counsel-john-durham-releases-report-on-fbis-handling-of-trump-investigation_919526.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">handling<\/a> of the matter was \u201cseriously deficient.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">It also found that some of the FBI <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/durham-report-shows-massive-politicization-of-justice-in-trump-russia-investigation-former-assistant-ag-jeff-clark-5270729\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">officials<\/a> involved in the investigation were antagonistic to \u2064the former president like, for instance,\u200c Deputy Assistant\u2063 Director for Counterintelligence Peter Strzok who had \u201cpronounced \u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/storage\/durhamreport.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hostile<\/a> feelings toward Trump.\u201d<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\">\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>FBI \u200dDeputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok testifies \u2063at the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Joint Hearing on, \u201cOversight of FBI and DOJ Actions Surrounding the 2016 Election&#8221; in Washington on July 12, 2018. (Samira Bouaou\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">Following the release of the Durham report, House Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner (R-Ohio) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/republicans-vow-accountability-for-fbi-politicization-detailed-in-durham-report-as-democrats-mostly-mum-5268929\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called<\/a> on Congress to establish\u2062 \u201cnew guardrails\u201d for keeping the FBI\u200b in \u200bcheck.<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\u201cThe report \u2063confirms that FBI personnel repeatedly disregarded critical protections established to protect \u200cthe American people from unlawful surveillance,\u201d he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/republicans-vow-accountability-for-fbi-politicization-detailed-in-durham-report-as-democrats-mostly-mum-5268929\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> to The Epoch Times.<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSuch actions should never have occurred, \u200cand it is essential that Congress codifies clear guardrails that prevent future FBI \u200cabuses and restores the public\u2019s \u200btrust in our law\u200c enforcement institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">Recently, House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) sent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/biden-admin-officials-subpoenaed-over-hunter-biden-tax-probe-tip-off-5486735\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subpoenas<\/a> to \u2062six Biden administration officials over allegations that the Secret Service tipped off the Biden transition team about a planned interview of Hunter Biden regarding his tax probe.<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\u201cThe Department of Justice initiated the\u2062 Biden family coverup and now DHS under the leadership of \u200cSecretary Mayorkas is complicit in \u200dit,\u201d Mr. Comer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/biden-admin-officials-subpoenaed-over-hunter-biden-tax-probe-tip-off-5486735\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a> in a statement.<\/div>\n<p>He called the incident one of\u2064 the \u201cmany examples of\u2063 misconduct and politicization\u201d during the Department of \u2064Justice\u2019s\u200c (DOJ) criminal investigation into the president\u2019s son.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\"><em>Mark Tapscott contributed to this report.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200c What specific allegations does the AFL report make regarding FBI\u2062 agents and their involvement in influencing the nomination process and harming the Trump administration?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  D the allegations,\u201d the report added.<\/p>\n<p>The AFL report alleged that certain FBI \u2062agents in the \u2062Washington, \u2064D.C.\u200c field office\u2063 intentionally undermined President Trump\u2019s nominees by \u200dselectively reporting derogatory\u2062 and unsubstantiated information. It stated that this selective reporting was done to influence the nomination process and ultimately harm the Trump administration.<\/p>\n<p>The report \u2062further claimed that\u200c FBI agents engaged in \u2063repeated violations of the Privacy Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act during the background investigation\u2063 process. These violations\u2063 allegedly\u200b resulted in\u200d biased\u2063 reporting\u200c and the dissemination of inaccurate and damaging information \u200babout\u200b nominees.<\/p>\n<p>One \u200bof the key examples\u200b cited in the report \u2063was the background investigation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was nominated to the Supreme \u200cCourt by President\u200d Trump. The\u2064 report\u200d highlighted how \u200cthe FBI\u2019s\u200b broken and biased process was used to smear Justice\u200b Kavanaugh\u2019s\u200d reputation.<\/p>\n<p>The Senate Judiciary Committee had requested \u200da \u2062supplemental FBI investigation into allegations of \u2063inappropriate activities by Justice Kavanaugh when he was a minor. The White\u200b House complied with this request, and the FBI conducted the investigation. However, despite no findings of wrongdoing, Senate Democrats dismissed\u2064 the \u2062investigation as &#8220;fake&#8221; and called\u2062 for\u200d further oversight into the FBI&#8217;s handling of \u200cthe allegations.<\/p>\n<p>The AFL report is a concerning revelation of potential\u2062 bias within \u200bthe\u200b FBI&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-the-fbi-illegally-politicized-background-investigations-for-republican-presidential-nominees\/\" title=\"FBI Report: Unlawful Bias in Background Checks for GOP Presidential Candidates\">background investigation process<\/a>. It raises questions about the agency&#8217;s adherence \u2062to its mandate of conducting impartial \u200band fair \u2063investigations. If \u200dthe allegations are true, they\u2063 indicate a serious breach of trust and a disregard\u200c for the integrity of the nomination\u2064 process.<\/p>\n<p>It is crucial that these claims are thoroughly investigated and appropriate\u2063 measures are taken to\u200c address\u200c any bias and procedural violations within\u200b the FBI. The nomination and confirmation of individuals to key positions in the government \u200cshould \u2062be based on merit and integrity, free \u2064from any political or personal agendas.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200dAFL\u200d report \u2063has called\u2063 for reform and oversight of the background investigation process to ensure that it is fair, transparent, and\u200d free\u200d from\u200c political influence. It emphasizes the need for accountability and the enforcement of existing laws, such as the Privacy Act and the Paperwork Reduction Act, to prevent future \u2062violations and biases.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI plays a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-oversight-board-member-joins-biden-doj\/\" title=\"Facebook Oversight Board Member Joins Biden DOJ\">critical role<\/a> in safeguarding the nation&#8217;s security and upholding the \u200crule of law. It \u200bis imperative that \u2063the agency operates with utmost professionalism, independence, and impartiality. Any hint of\u200d bias \u200dor politicization erodes \u2064public trust and undermines the integrity\u200c of the FBI&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the revelations from the AFL\u200c report highlight the importance of\u2063 maintaining the independence and integrity of \u200dkey governmental institutions. The \u200cbackground investigation process \u200bmust be transparent and fair, \u2063guided solely\u2062 by the goal of selecting the most qualified individuals to \u2064serve in public office.<\/p>\n<p>Addressing the \u200cconcerns raised in the AFL report is essential for restoring faith\u200b in the FBI and ensuring that future background investigations are conducted in a nonpartisan manner. The credibility \u200bof the agency\u2064 and the\u2064 trust of the American people \u2062depend on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>administration, the FBI\u2019s BI process was weaponized to target and undermine his nominees. The AFL report exposes the biased nature of these investigations, favoring individuals who opposed Trump politically. It highlights the urgent need to address the flaws in the federal background investigation system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":186,"featured_media":2034863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2034862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/186"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2034862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2034862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2034863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2034862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2034862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2034862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}